January Craftings

Flip Top Mittens
Start: 29th December 2017
Finish: 20th January 2018

Hedgehog Bags

Start: 9th January 2018 

Finish: 9th January 2018 

Light Grey Fingerless Mittens

Start: 27th January 2018 

Finish: 29th January 2018 

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Crafting goals this year

• finish more projects than I start
• finish 52 items and 52 balls of yarn
• use more yarn and fabric than I buy
• learn a new skill

Items made this month

2 sewn, 2 knitted

Yarn this month

bought: 0

finished: 0

Poltergeist Pie - Mark 1

Initially this was to be Poulterer's Pie, based on the idea of Fisherman's Pie and Shepherd's Pie, but with chicken. It's chicken, bacon and veggies is a sauce made from cream cheese and chicken gravy, and then topped with discs of mashed potato and grated cheese.

As I said, Poulterer's Pie, but the spellchecker on my phone didn't like the word, and decided I meant Poltergeist Pie. My family agrees Poltergeist sounds better. 

Whoo Hoo! Knitting Finished!

 

My mojo was consumed by gardening ideas, and knitting got left by the wayside. However, I have finished two projects, Flip Top Mittens for me, and Ribbed Wrist Warmers for refugees.

I really need to get on and finish some more UFO (UnFinished Objects).

Charity Knitting Begins

A while back, there was a collection of socks and knickers for refugees in France and Greece. I made a few pairs of socks. The organiser of the collection was utterly delighted, and asked if I had been the one who knitted all of the hats in a previous collection. Yup, that was me. She said that for any future collections, I could knit what ever I wanted as my creations were so beautiful, well made and practical. Rather heady praise!

Last night I needed a little project that could be worked on in very low light levels, and so I cast on these Ribbed Wrist Warmers. I've made six pairs already, and the recipients have all commented on warmth and fit. The design is very simple, and the ribbing means they fit a wide variety of hand sizes.

Pattern: Ribbed Wrist Warmers

Yarn: Misty DK

Company: James C Brett
Composition: Acrylic 80%, Viscose 20%
Colour: 82 (light grey)

Size: Adult
Needles: 4mm
Amount used: 
Started: 27th January 2018
Finished: 29th January 2018

I need a Fairy Godmother!

Having a minimal wardrobe means I don't have many shoes. Having a dog with a leather fetish who seeks out a shoe to chew on when she's stressed means I now only have one pair of shoes! I need shoes. A fairy Godmother to conjure some up would be just the thing!

My feet are rather wide, and over the last 8 years I haven't bothered with shoe shops, and have instead bought Cushion Walk shoes online. A 6E is perfect for me in that particular brand. However, my usual source of shoes is no longer selling the styles I like. They are either 'great-granny' or 'urban grunge'. My taste in shoes is either 'comfortable, simple, plain' or 'weird and colourful'. Neither need is being satisfied.

Whilst in town, I popped into a shoe shop, and as I was about to try on a pair of shoes I realised my only shoes had been leaking and my tights were wet. A carrier bag supplied by the shop helped. I learned they now stock wide and extra wide shoes! Sadly not in my size, but they could be ordered. 

Schmackos are Grrrreat!

Ava loves Schmachos! Utterly loves Schmackos! 

When Ava came to us we had no idea what sort of training she had. She didn't respond to 'sit', 'down', 'stay', 'wait', 'come', etc. We have been using Schmackos in training as rewards. It took a few days of applying gentle pressure to the rump whilst saying 'Sit' before she got the general idea. On Tuesday, a friend was round and said to a sitting dog 'down', and she did it! 

Ava has started sitting at the first hint of treats being around, and we are no longer rewarding 'sit' or 'come'. Instead 'down' gets treats. 

Earlier we played a game of 'Find it'. A treat was placed in a muffin tin and all the holes covered by balls of paper. It requires a few mighty sniffs to locate the treat, and then pushing the paper aside to uncover it. This game went down well.

Puppy-sitting

I am utterly exhausted. Yesterday and today have been spent puppy-sitting for this little chap (well, a puppy who looks very much like this one). Puppies have so much energy. They bounce, they trounce, they lick, they nip and they are hard, hard work.

Coming home to Ava was such a delight. Her idea of a good time is to snuggle up on the sofa with me and be stroked. Walking her is a joy. There's no pulling, no pooh eating, no chasing cars, and she doesn't suddenly just sit and refuse to walk until a treat is given. 

Cement Blocks and Assorted Rubbish

The most massive amount of decluttering has been done today, and not by me! All of the concrete blocks from the old wall have been removed! In addition, various bits of rubbish, like the old 4-section garden gate, a bucket half fulled with concrete, and stuff, has been removed. The garden is now a chunk bigger, and there's a parking space for the car. A massive 'Thank you' to Brian for organising this. 

We have quite a number of brick pavers left over and a tonne of builders sand. Some of these supplies will be used to make a planter in the front garden, but there will still be quite a lot left over. A friend was talking about making a garden path. I'm pretty sure I can provide them with the materials to make a nice little path. 

As can be seen from the image above, the walls really need to be painted! They might need to be re-rendered too, or patched, but for the moment, a paint job will do.

Coke Bottle Cake

We have guests coming for dinner. It is roast chicken, boiled potatoes, carrots, broccoli, red cabbage, lingon berry sauce and gravy. For pudding, there's a baked cheesecake topped with raspberries, and also a Coke Bottle Cake. 

I saw the Coke Bottle Cake on How to Cook That, and thought I'd give it a try. Yup. I've tried it, and once is enough! It was a nightmare getting it out of the mould.

It all starts off with a plastic Coke Bottle and a very sharp knife. The label is removed, and the bottle cut in half from the area where the label was. After washing and drying the bottle, it's given a bit of melted white chocolate at the neck, and then later some dark (or milk) chocolate for the body. Foolishly, I didn't think about how much chocolate I would need. It ended up being half a kilo! When the bottle was set it was removed from the mould, and I filled it with ganache and a chocolate marble cake. The two halves were joined, and the label re-attached to hide the join.

It was so much work, and I don't think it justifies the amount of effort. 

They Like to Move It, Move It?

My parents have lived in the House on the Hill for almost 40 years. In these 40 years, my Dad's mobility has been seriously impaired. For the last 15 years, at least, he has been registered as disabled. There have been times when the steep road up to the house has been too icy or snowy for him to be able to drive up and he has had to spend the night with my aunt and uncle. Now, at long last, my parents have decided it's time to move down the hill. 

They have spotted a lovely little house at the bottom of town. It's a two minute walk from my aunt and uncle. It's also two minute walk from a newsagent/convenience shop, about 5 minutes from a small supermarket and major bus routes. The house itself has a study, kitchen, sitting room/dining room, sunroom,  bathroom and bedroom on the ground floor, and two further bedrooms upstairs. There's a garage, and off-road parking for two cars, a small garden at the front, and a larger, paved garden at the rear. 

If they get this house then the first thing to sort would be the above bath shower. A bath is great when you have small children, but a large walk-in shower is far more practical for adults, especially if one of them has a mobility problem. Another thing requiring work will be the back garden. Currently it is most unattractive, but with a bit of work it could look really good, and make a low maintenance garden for my Mam.

This would be a very good move for my parents. They would be off the hill, on the flat, and very close to the vast majority of the town's amenities. I wonder how I will feel when my parents do move (to this house, or another).

Time for Change

My world has gradually become smaller and smaller. The number of places I go, and people I see has reduced and diminished. It's time for change. It's time for me to get out into the world and do stuff.

The last time I thought like this I ended up doing solitary things. This cycle of 'getting out of a rut' I shall make it people based. 

'Tis Done! The Rubble's Gone!

It's time to celebrate with a photograph of stuff that isn't there! The second pile of rubble has been moved into the planter. It's gone! 

And here's Ava enjoying the space formerly occupied by the first pile of rubble.

It is very hard to describe the sense of elation when the last shovelful of rubble was moved. It was glorious to think there would be no more to move. The task was complete; the space tidied. The garden is one step closer to the wonderful images in my head. I'm so looking forward to a time when the garden is no longer grey, but wall white, and the planters and pots brimming over with greenery.

Shovel, Shovel, Soil and Rubble

Ah, you know it's getting bad when I start breaking out puns! More rubble and soil moved by means of a shovel. All being well, tomorrow will be my last day of rubble. Again, no point in having a picture of rubble, instead, a picture of lettuce, one of the crops I would like to grown. A few years ago, I was able to get some fantastic lettuce - you pick the leaves around the outside rather than cutting the head off. It means there's always the freshest lettuce. 

Then it will be time to purchase masonry paint, a new brush, and a little bottle of topical weed killer. The garden walls (bar one) are old, and some plants have made themselves at home in them. They will not survive the spring.

A list of gardening tasks:

• finish moving rubble
• remove large concrete blocks
• remove garden rubbish from the parking area.
• buy masonry paint, brush and topical weed killer
• apply weed killer to weeds growing in the garden walls
• paint the walls behind and the inside of the planters
• remove wooden baton on right hand wall
• paint remaining garden walls and back of laundry room
• install cleats for washing line
• add compost to planters
• add soil to planters
• paint outside of planters
• pour sand between pavers that have been lifted/re-set
• plant seeds

My Piles have Diminished!

Rubble, rubble, rubble! My life is full of rubble. However, only two more days, and all the back garden rubble will be in the planters! I will not be sad to see the end of it.

There's no need for more grey, rubble-y pictures. Instead, we have raspberries.

Garden Work Continues

The second pile of rubble creating has been started. It's slow going, but it's going. I decided against posting yet another picture of rubble and my grey garden. Instead, a picture of something I wish to see growing in my garden later in the year. It 

Afternoon Walkies

The advice given by the MSPCA was to keep Ava on a leash for three weeks before letting her have free runs. The idea is that during that time the dog and humans will form a bond, and the dog won't just run away when let off the leash. 

We've taken her on a beach walk at Peel, and a little off-leash experiment at Groudle Beach. Groudle is an isolated, enclosed beach. It's also very rocky. Ava enjoyed exploring the area but kept pretty close. 

Yesterday we decided on Port Erin Beach, and she enjoyed herself free running and meeting other dogs. She especially enjoyed the four bloodhound puppies we met. Puppies seem to be fascinating to her. It was the puppies first time out, and they enjoyed all of the fuss and attention from Ava and her humans.

We noticed a sign outside The Bay Hotel, "Dog welcome with well behaved owners". The Beloved went to the bar for a round of Coke. I took of my waterproof jacket, and Ava hopped onto the bench seating. Ava was told to get down, and then forcibly removed from the seat. When she first jumped up I saw the bar staff look over. As I had the situation in hand nothing was said. A few moment more and she hopped up again. Again she was told to get down and the command was backed up with action. I was thinking 'Dog, you are going to get us thrown out!'. Thankfully, we were able to keep her on the floor. Not too bad for a first time. It is to be hoped we won't have similar problems in the future.

Alfredo Sauce

Amber Alden's Alfredo Sauce 

Ingredients
100g butter
2 Tsp gluten free flour
100g lactose-free cream cheese
230g lactose-free milk
75g grated parmesan cheese
¼ tsp garlic infused olive oil
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp basil
¼ tsp oregano

Method
1. Medium non-stick skillet, melt the butter. Using whisk, add the flour and cook approximately 2 minutes whisking continuously.
2. Add the cream cheese and milk, continually whisking until the sauce begins to thicken. (approx. 5 minutes) Once sauce thickens, add grated cheese and continue to whisk until the cheese melts. Add the garlic oil, pepper, basil, oregano and more milk if necessary. Once cheese has completely melted and smooth, serve.

First Pile Declttered

The first pile of rubble has been decluttered! The 'Rubble Be Gone!' spray didn't work, and I had to do it all by hand, well shovel. As I was taking a progress photograph of the rubble that isn't there, the reason for the renovation appeared. Ava enjoys being out in the back garden and has thoroughly investigated everything I have been doing. 

This projected started out as a way to create a safe secure garden for a dog, but it has evolved into so much more. Oh! You should see the pictures in my head! The once unloved space is going to be a clean, crisp, green space, full of life. It's going to be a place to grow fruit and veggies, sit and chat, dry washing, cook, as well as being an out door space for Ava.

Rubble Be Gone!

Work progresses! The first pile of rubble is now half the size it was yesterday. It looks like the first planter is going to have just about the right amount of drainage in the bottom. Hopefully the first pile will be gone by the end of Friday.

The Beloved talked with a friend with a van. Brian popped round this evening and had a look at the stuff beyond the gate. He will come and dispose of it for us on Sunday. He asked about the concrete blocks, and said he could use them as foundations for parking space. Another job ticked off. Brian also expressed interest in the shed. As I've already spoken to Ian about the sheds, and will contact him tomorrow to see if he's still interested. If he's not, then Brian would love to have them. What's more, Brian knows a source for manure to spread over the rubble in the planters, and also top soil! 

Brian is a very useful person to know!

Moving the Shed

A few cement bricks and blocks have been moved, along with a wheel barrow. The shed with the broken door has been moved into that space, out of the middle of the garden. The space looks so much bigger now. Down the side of the shed is a second shed, all in pieces. Both sheds were left behind by the previous owners of the house. It's taken me over 10 years to do something with them, ie move them a few metres. One of the builders thinks his friend would be happy to take the sheds away. This would be great. I'm going to give them to the end of the month to remove them. If they haven't gone by then, I'll get them taken to the tip. 

Pictured above is an old corroded bed frame, a wonky ladder, a sheet of corrugated plastic, a rotary clothes dryer. These have all be moved from beside the second shed to the back wall. Whilst the Younger Offspring is out on lunchtime walkies, I'll move them just outside the gate. The Beloved is going to ask a friend with a van to help him taken them to the tip over the weekend. The pile of rubble is gradually getting smaller. 

Update: The items from the back wall have been moved outside the gate, and more rubble has been cleared. Its proving to be easier to use the shovel to move the rubble/sand/soil into the wheelbarrow, move it a short distance and then lift out the large chunks by hand into the planter, and shovel the rest.

Next time, I'll divide the rubble pile into portions. then see how much I can do each day. 

Hedgehog Fabric

A fat quarter of this beautiful fabric was bought on Saturday. I was looking for yarn for a Temperature Blanket, but couldn't see a rainbow of yarns. The Younger Offspring was wanting yarn for arm knitting, and as I owed them a little money I said I would pay. the total didn't reach the minimum total for a card purchase, so these cute little hogs were added. An impulse purchase.

The fabric has been made into couple of  drawstring bags. 

Goal Digger 2018

In 2017, I had a few goals. The biggest was to resign from work. Dues to changes in the management structure, and the gradual eroding of my position, responsibilities and autonomy, I was becoming more and more unhappy. I discussed this with my husband, The Beloved, and he told me to resign.  Instead of resigning immediately, I made a plan to take as much information from my head and commit it to paper/computer so others would be able to use the information in future. I tidied and organised, and worked my way thing a load of stuff. With my husband, I planned a finish date, and then a month before, I handed in my resignation. It was freeing, it was brilliant! Since then, I have been so very much happier. My health has improved, my life has improved. It was a brilliant move. 

Another goal was to lose weight, and I lost a little.  My skirts and trousers are now rather loose on me. I'm going to carry this idea on into 2018. But, this year, I'm going to set a goal. This year, I want to lose 25kg (almost 4 stones). This is going to be accomplished by eating food that's better for me, dog walking, cycling and gardening.

On the gardening front, I want to get the back garden looking crisp, clean and green. The 'builder's yard' look is so old. Now, I want 'sanctuary', a place to grow food, potter around, dry washing, and hang out with the dog. 

During the building work, I was reminded of the church building renovation I took part in whilst a student. There were so many things I learned, how to work with wood, tiling, knocking down walls, plastering etc. This year, I'm going to learn how to build a brick planter. I'll use the leftover brick pavers, sand and concrete from the back garden to make a planter for the front garden.

And my final goal, for now, is to use more fabric and yarn than I buy. This has been my goal for quite a number of years, and it is working. It's slow, but it's working.  So far this year, I have bought one fat quarter of fabric. Some sleepy little hedgehogs nestled in autumn leaves.

Brick Pavers Moved

One of the things accomplished yesterday was getting a washing line back up. There's enough space for about 8 t-shirts, or a duvet set. It has to come down when I'm working in the garden. 

All of the brick pavers have been moved from closer to the house, and stacked neatly. All of this bending and carrying is giving my back, arms and legs a work out! But, I can see an improvement. Things are starting to look a little tidier. 

Time for a shower, a hot water bottle and some knitting. I must pace myself otherwise I'll damage my back and shoulders. The flip-top mittens will worked on today, and a hopefully finished.

Garden Decluttering

One of the main things I have learned from last year's decluttering in the house has been the importance of breaking down a huge job into much smaller ones, and then biting off a small chunk at a time. Other things learned have been 'Make it a little better', and the importance of tidying things away at the end of the chunk of work.

There is so very much that needs to be done in the garden to make it the space I want it to be. Ava is very happy with things the way they are: I want to be as happy with space as she is. 

The whole thing is rather overwhelming. However, there's a pile of builder's rubble behind the shed. It's manageable; I can see myself being able to deal with this area. This is where I'm concentrating my activities. Once the rubble has been tossed into the planter beside it, and the brick pavers have been moved up close to the house, I'll be able to move the shed and create much more space for getting on with the next stage. I am capable of moving more than 2 pavers at a time, but if I do that the chances are I'll hurt myself. IT's far better for me to make many little journeys with a small load than being out of action.  

Garden: Building Works Completed

The building works have been completed. We now have a new tall garden wall with a tall gate, two long raised beds/planters and a concreted area for the car to be parked. And a load of builder's rubble to deal with!

Quite a number of brick pavers have been lifted. These are from the area under the new wall, the planters and also some from the parking space. My plan is to stack all of the whole pavers, and then use them at a later date to build a planters in the front garden. Some of the half pavers will be kept for filling in. The rest of them will be put in the planters for drainage. There's a load of sand, broken bricks and broken cement blocks that will also go into the planters for drainage. The various bits of wood will be taken to the tip. There's also a huge amount of cement blocks from the wall that has been demolished. These will need to be removed too.

My exercise for the next few weeks will be moving the small rubble from the two piles and moving it into the planters. I expect to come away from this with some serious muscles.

2.2kg in a week!

I don't know quite how this has happened, but it appears I've lost 2.2kg (5lb) in a week! That's the equivalent of a small baby!

The FODMAP diet is not  designed to be a weight loss programme. However, the foods I have chosen to eat this week have been chicken, salmon, a bit of cheese, veggies, a bit of fruit, granola, some yogurt and a bit of oil. There have been a few naughties, some chocolate and a couple of banana and chocolate chip muffins. I haven't been properly low FODMAP, but lower than usual. 

Next week, I will try to do better, and achieve a properly low FODMAP intake of food. The chocolate I had caused some discomfort, but the reaction was too swift for it to have been FODMAP related. There is some non-FODMAP issue with some forms of dairy.

The Garden, a Progress Report

The old wall has been taken down, and a new, higher wall erected, a bit further into the garden. This is to allow an off-street parking space for the car. Two planters/raised beds have been built. A new gate/door has been built and installed, and a number plate has been added. The garden is now secure! It has been inspected by Ava, the Wonder Dog. She decided it was lacking in one thing, and wee-ed on it. 

There's some tidying up work to be done where there brick pavers meet the planters and wall. Two new drain covers are needed, and the parking space will be concreted over. And that will be the end of stage one. 

Stage two involves staining the new door/gate, applying exterior paint to the new walls and planters, and putting up hooks for the washing line. Stage three is transforming the old wall rubble into drainage material for the planters. Stage four is the removal of the various extraneous stuff from the garden. From there we're into getting in some top soil and starting a garden.

Hi Ho, It's Off to Work We Go

The Beloved is back at work after the holidays, and I am now getting back into my regular routine. This year is going to involve a little bit of decluttering for me, and a lot of renovation, decorating and getting routines firmly in place.

Every day will start with getting dressed, walking the dog and feeding her. After I've had my breakfast, it will be time for the 52 Weeks to an Organised Home mission, starting a load of laundry, and giving the kitchen a quick clean. 

The Younger Offspring has decided to declutter this year too. I shall be helping and advising, but they will be the one making the decisions. Today was the first day, and it was a pajama day. Two sets are being donated, one set is be binned, and a pair of bottoms is also heading bin-ward. On the shopping list is a pair of leggings/joggers. This will being the total pajama count to three sets, one for wearing, one for washing, and one in the drawer. A good start.

Granola, Mark 2

Ingredients

6 cups rolled oats 

1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds 

0.5 cup chopped hazelnuts

0.5 cup chopped pecans 

0.25 cup brown sugar (omitted in the latest batch)

0.5 cup maple syrup 

0.5 cup vegetable oil 

1 Tsp ground cinnamon 

1 Tsp vanilla extract 

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line two large baking sheets with parchment.

Combine the oats, seeds, and nuts in a large bowl. Place in a saucepan,  the sugar, maple syrup, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.

Bake until crispy and toasted, about 25 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then store in an airtight container.

Notes

This is a pared down version of the previous recipe. The original recipe made a huge quantity. This one produces about half. I prefer the taste of maple syrup to honey, so have replaced the honey with syrup. Cinnamon and vanilla are also favourites; I haven't cut those back. The seeds and nuts were what I had in the cupboard at the time. 

One portion of this granola is low FODMAP. It is great with lactose-free yogurt and fruit compote.

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In the latest batch of granola, I left out the brown sugar, and I greatly prefer the reduction in sweetness. The maple syrup adds enough sweetness for my tastes. We also had no pecans, so cashews were used instead.

Starting the Year Decluttering

Monday's decluttering task was reading. Yesterday's decluttering was postponed due to a migraine. today, the migraine has gone. The sink area has been decluttered of dying herbs and a few random bits. 

Today's task was to declutter and clean the kitchen counters. I have so little counter space in the kitchen that they have to be in a reasonable state, otherwise it's a mammoth job to do anything. Last year I removed a number of counter top items that weren't in daily use. It released much needed space. This year, I have found a place for my balance scales and weights. These are used every 10 days or so, and not need to be out.

I am delighted by how easy this is to do this year. Tomorrow's mission is even simpler - clean the kitchen table. We don't have a kitchen table.

What's Cooking?

Dinner last night was roast chicken with roasted potatoes, parsnips and carrots and lightly boiled broccoli. The gravy was made by using some of the chicken juices and cooking the dark green part of spring onions into it. Mixed herbs were added, along with some salt. It was thickened with a little Dove Farm flour. The gravy was not my typical fayre, but it had some flavour and it was wet.

The breakfast I had planned was a BLT with mayo on gluten-free toast. And when I was just about to make it I realised there was no bacon. There was some cold chicken from last night, so I had a CLT with may on gf toast. It worked really well.

Feta and Parma Ham Salad

Ingredients

lettuce

spring onion (green part only)

cucumber

cherry tomatoes

honeydew melon

feta cheese

parma ham

balsamic vinegar

Method

Cut or rip the lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Slice the cucumber, and quarter the tomato. Scatter all on the dish. Cube some melon. Cut a little feta and rip a slice of parma ham. Drizzle over with balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle a little finely sliced spring onion (green part only).

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I do like the combination of flavours and colours. It's very fresh and lovely. It would also work well with some finely sliced red cabbage and a dressing made from oil, lemon juice and a little mustard.